Exploration agreement aims to help junior mining companies in northern Sask. and Man. – by Bridget Yard (CBC News Saskatoon – January 31, 2018)

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/

Future of Creighton, Sask.’s main industry ‘up in the air,’ according to longtime Mayor Bruce Fidler

An agreement between the Saskatchewan and federal governments worth approximately $2 million will aim to help junior mining companies in their exploration of northern Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The agreement was signed in December 2017.

The future of the mining camps near Creighton, Sask., which is approximately 430 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon, is “up in the air,” according to the town’s mayor.

“The forecast put out a year ago by Hudbay [Minerals] was that the 777 mine, the one in operation right now where they’re producing ore, is going to run out and shut down in three or four years,” said Bruce Fidler.

He estimates a shutdown would affect roughly 700 employees, who live for the most part in Creighton and Flin Flon, Man. A processing plant in Flin Flon is still in operation, processing ore from a mine in Snow Lake.

“We’ve been hoping for some kind of program to come out for a couple years now, to assist the juniors in getting out there and doing exploration and drilling and finding another ore body that could save, or at least be, the next mine,” said Filder.

Overhead survey

The agreement will fund an airborne survey of the Flin Flon and Creighton region, which is a well-known, “highly prospective” area.

For the rest of this article: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/creighton-mine-exploration-flin-flon-1.4512485